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In Vermont, two immigrant rights activists have returned home after being jailed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in what local organizers say was an act of political retaliation. Twenty-four-year-old Enrique Balcazar and 23-year-old Zully Palacios are both leaders of the group Migrant Justice. They were arrested by undercover ICE agents in Burlington, Vermont, earlier this month as they were leaving the Migrant Justice office. Balcazar, who is known as Kike, serves on Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan’s immigration task force, which was created to respond to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “There are so many innocent people still in there. There are so many who have their dreams cut short, so many who have families waiting for them at home,” Palacios said. “There are so many people we have in captivity, and it’s not fair.” A third activist with Migrant Justice, 23-year-old Cesar Alex Carrillo, remains in detention. He was arrested by ICE outside a courthouse two days before Zully and Kike were arrested.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, Washington, lawyers for undocumented DREAMer Daniel Ramirez Medina say he’s been granted bond and will be released later today. He’s been jailed by ICE for six weeks, after being arrested when ICE agents came to his father’s home. He was jailed even though he has permission to live and work in the United States under President Obama’s DACA program.

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This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMYGOODMAN: In Vermont, two immigrant rights activists have returned home after being jailed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in what local organizers say was an act of political retaliation. Twenty-four-year-old Enrique Balcazar and 23-year-old Zully Palacios are both leaders of the group Migrant Justice. They were arrested by undercover ICE agents in Burlington, Vermont, earlier this month as they were leaving the Migrant Justice office. Balcazar, who is known as Kike, serves on Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan’s immigration task force, which was created to respond to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. This is Zully Palacios, speaking after being released on Tuesday.

ZULLYPALACIOS: [translated] It’s so sad to see the situation within the prisons and jails, where they intimidate us, try to make us feel like we’re all alone and like there’s no one to support us. Once I found out I was going to be released, I wanted to shout out loud and scream for joy, but I also felt so much sadness, because, as Kike said, there are so many innocent people still in there. There are so many who have their dreams cut short, so many who have families waiting for them at home. There are so many people we have in captivity, and it’s not fair.

AMYGOODMAN: A third activist with Migrant Justice, 23-year-old Cesar Alex Carrillo, remains jailed. He was arrested by ICE outside a courthouse two days before Zully and Kike were arrested. This is Carillo’s wife, also speaking on Tuesday.

LYMARIEDEIDA: First of all, it’s a victory today, because I have two of the three of my family members here back home. But they’re still missing one, the one that has the key to my heart. And he’s not home. But that doesn’t mean the fight is over. That doesn’t mean I’m going to sit and wait. It means I’m going to get up every day, each and every day, to fight for his freedom, because, like everyone else, he is human, and we are all equal.

AMYGOODMAN: Meanwhile, in Seattle, Washington, lawyers for the undocumented DREAMer Daniel Ramirez Medina say he’s been granted bond and will be released later today. He’s been jailed by ICE for six weeks, after being arrested when ICE agents came to his father’s home. He was jailed even though he has permission to live and work in the United States under President Obama’s DACA program. To see our full interview with Ramirez Medina’s lawyer, as well as our interview with Migrant Justice organizer Will Lambek in Vermont, go to democracynow.org.

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